The Enfield planning and zoning commission (PZC) this week unanimously approved a special-use permit to allow a company to use a long-vacant warehouse on Manning Road to process and distribute garlic imported from Argentina, Egypt and Spain.
The PZC gave its approval after a public hearing on the application for the special-use permit yielded no comments from residents.
The building at 21 Manning Road was formerly used for the manufacture and distribution of containers, according to documents filed with the PZC.
The applicant, Enrique Padilla of EP Garlic Corp., sought a change of use at the Manning Road site to allow the processing and distribution of agricultural products — in this case, garlic.
The company plans to import garlic from overseas and process it into peeled, minced, powdered, mashed and paste garlic product, according to the PZC staff report and draft resolution. The company anticipates that an initial shift of 37 employees will expand to three shifts with a total of 85 employees, the report says.
The company sought to establish a garlic processing warehouse in Enfield because of its location in the region and its climate, “which is good for processing and will save on the business’ utility costs,” the report says.
PZC Secretary Richard Szewczak said that finding a use for vacant properties on Manning Road has proved to be a challenge, but that the proposal from EP Garlic Corp. was a good fit.
“They met our regulations and I look for the positives,” Szewczak said. “It’s good news for the town.”
The company plans to utilize all of the existing 57,361-square-foot building, and does not plan to make any extensive renovations, Szewczak said.
With the PZC’s approval, the company can move forward with its plans, which includes possibly purchasing the building, he said.
According to documents EP Garlic Corp. submitted to the PZC, the company plans to distribute the garlic it processes in Enfield throughout the Northeast and in the Caribbean.
“Maybe we’ll become the garlic capital of the Northeast,” Szewczak said.
